Feeding apparatus



Feb. 18, 1964 J. PETRO 3,121,281

FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 25, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 EEDING OF SHELLS CAM OPERATED FORCE- SEATING OF FERRULE 0N SMHL FIRST REMOVAL O FLASH FROM LUG FORMING LOCK \NG DIMPLES SECOND REMOVAL OF FLASH FROM LUG FIG.9.

INVENTOR. TAMES PET/P0 HTTOBVE'Y.

Feb. 18, 1964 J. PETRO FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 25, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6. as 39 mnsxme TUERET l2 INVENTOR.

JTQMES PE 7' R0 HTTORNEY Feb. 18, 1964 .1. PETRO FEEDING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 23, 1961 INVENTOR. TH/1E5 PEI'RO BY 0 r FIG. 7.

United States Patent 3,121,281 FEEDING APPARATUS James Petro, Little Falls, N.J., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., :1 corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. 23, 1961, Ser. No. 91,160 Claims. (Cl. 29-203) The present invention relates to base making apparatus and, more particularly, to automatic ferrule feeding apparatus for such a machine.

Heretofore a single contact base for the end of a tubular discharge device, such as a fluorescent lamp, has been fabricated on a machine similar to the type shown in US. Patent No. 2,502,227, issued March 28, 1950, to W. Makenny. Such a single contact base (of the type shown in Us. Patent No. 2,447,340, issued July 26, 1949, to W. Makenny) has a shell of insulating material, such as a phenolic condensation product of the type designated by the trademark Bakelite, which trademark is registered by the Bakelite C0., a Division of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation of New York, N .Y This shell has a cylindrical flange for receiving the end of the tubular envelope of the fluorescent lamp and an axial lug provided with a hole for guiding a lead wire of the fluorescent lamp into position for forming a soldered contact with a brass ferrule carried by the lug.

After a shell was fed into a head of the above-identified base making machine by a shell feeding device of the type shown in US. Patent No. 2,515,881, issued July 18, 1950, to W. Makenny, an operator placed the ferrule on the lug and attempted to seat the ferrule on an enlarged shoulder portion of the lug by finger pressure. This hand feeding operation limited finished base production to about 2500 finished bases per hour and resulted in considerable shrinkage when the ferrules fell off the lugs before such ferrules could be force sea-ted onto the enlarged shoulder portions of the lugs.

It is the general object of the present invention to avoid and overcome the foregoing and other difficulties of and objections to prior art practices by the provision of an automatic ferrule feeding apparatus for a base making machine, which ferrule feeding apparatus will increase finished base production and reduce base shrinkage.

The aforesaid object of the present invention, and other objects which will become apparent as the description proceeds, are achieved by providing an improved ferrule feeding apparatus comprising ferrule positioning means for receiving a ferrule at a ferrule receiving position and for transporting it into registry with a base shell on the shell receiving head of the base making machine at the ferrule feeding station, ferrule supporting means beneath the ferrule positioning means and between the ferrule positioning means and the shell receiving head, resilient ferrule retaining means adjacent the ferrule feeding station for retaining the ferrule in the ferrule positioning means adjacent the ferrule feeding station and when the ferrule moves off the ferrule supporting means, ferrule transfer means at the ferrule feeding station for removing the ferrule from the ferrule positioning means against the action of the resilient ferrule retaining means and for preliminarily seating the ferrule on the lug.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate similar parts roughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a base making machine having the automatic ferrule feeding device of the present invention incorporated therein;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a base shell;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a ferrule;

3,121,281 Patented Feb. 18, 1964 FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a finished single contact base;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view along the line V--V of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows and showing the position of the feeding plunger at the start of the feeding and seating operation;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to a portion of FIG. 5 but showing an intermediate step in the feeding and seating operation;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view along the line VII-VII of FIG. 5 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 8 is a view siimlar to FIG. 7 along the line V II IVIII of FIG. 5 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 7 and 8 along the line IX-IX of FIG. 5 in the direction of the arrows.

With specific reference to the form of the present invention illustrated in the drawings, and referring particularly to FIG. 1, a base making machine (similar to the type shown in the above-mentioned US. Patent No. 2,502,227) is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. This base making machine 10 comprises essentially a turret 12 provided with twelve shell receiving heads 14, which are indexable through a like number of stations by a conventional indexing mechanism (not shown, but of the type disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,569,852, issued October 2, 1951, to J. H. Green). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the heads 14 are moved during each index through an angle 6. I

At station 1, the shell feeding station (FIG. 1), a shell orienting and feeding device (not shown but of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned US. Patent No. 2,515,881) feeds a shell 18 in the lug-up" position down an inclined feeding chute 19 beyond an escapement mechanism 20 onto a head 14 at such station. An air blast from a high pressure air tube 22 aids the force of gravity in moving the shells .18 down the feeding chute 19.

When the now-loaded head 14 arrives at station 3, the ferrule feeding station ('FIG. 1), a ferrule feeding apparatus of the present invention (FIGS. 1 and 5-9) positions a ferrule 24 (FIG. 3) on an axial lug 26 (FIGS. 2 and 6-) on the shell 18 and partially or preliminarily seats such ferrule 24 on an enlarged shoulder 28 (FIG. 2) on the lug 26 to prevent such ferrule 24 from falling off the lug 26 during the subsequent indexing movement of the head 12 to other work stations and to eliminate ferruleless base shrinkage.

Ferrule Feeding Apparatus As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 8, a ferrule orienting and feeding device (not shown, but similar to the feeding device shown in US. Patent No. 2,615,184, issued October 28, 1952, to C. C. W. Williams) feeds the rim-down ferrules 24 onto a delivery chute 30 in rim-to-rim engagement toward a ferrule positioning means, such as an indexable ferrule positioning dial 32, with the leading ferrule 24 being received in a registering ferrule receiving means, such as a socket 34 (FIGS. 5 and 8) in the ferrule positioning dial 32, and being supported on a ferrule supporting means, such as a plate-like extension 73 (FIGS. 5 and 8) of a frame 39 of the base making machine.

This ferrule positioning dial 32 carries eight sockets 34 (FIG. 8) and is mounted on a vertical shaft 36 (FIG. 5) which is rotatable on bearings 38 in the frame 39 of the base making machine to index the sockets 34 in clockwise direction and in synchronism with the heads 14 from station A, the ferrule receiving station (FIG. 8) to station E, the ferrule feeding and seating station.

In order to provide indexing means for the ferrule positioning dial 32, a ratchet wheel 40 (FIGS. 5 and 7) is mounted on the shaft 36, and an advancing pawl 42 (pivoted at 44 on a pawl plate 46) is biased by a spring 48 into engagement with the ratchet wheel 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the pawl plate 46 is rotatable on the upper bearing 38. The conventional drive means (FlGS. 1, and 7) utilized to rotate the pawl plate 46 and the pawl 42 carried thereby from the dotted-line position shown in FIG. 7 through the angle 6 to the solid-line position shown in such figure (and thus effect the indexing of the sockets 34 carried thereby) has an adjustable connecting rod 50 (FIG. 7) which is connected at one end 52 to the pawl plate 46 and at the other end 54 (FIG. 1) to a lower arm 55. This lower arm 55 is secured to a vertical shaft 56 rotatable in bearings 57 (FIG. 5) in the frame 39. An upper arm 53 (FIGS. 1 and 5 secured to the vertical shaft 56 is connected at 62 to a camoperated connecting rod 60.

During each dwell of the ferrule positioning dial 32 and the sockets 34 carried thereby, the plate 46 and pawl 42 are retracted from the solid-line position (FIG. 7) to the dotted-line position preparatory for the next indexing movement of the ferrule transfer dial 32 and the sockets 34. In order to prevent counterclockwise movement of the vertical shaft 36 and the ferrule feeding dial 32 therewith during the above-mentioned retraction of the pawl plate 46 and pawl 42, a braking means, such as the friction brake 64 (FIGS. 1, 7 and 9), is mounted on the front of the frame 39 (as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 7) between the pawl plate 46 and the ferrule positioning dial 32 and in contact with the vertical shaft 36.

As shown in FIG. 9 particularly, this friction brake 64 comprising a friction segment 66 which is biased by a spring 68 (contained in a cavity 69 in the frame 39) against the vertical shaft 35. To provide adjustment of the compressive force of the spring 68 against the friction segment 66, a bolt 70 is threadable into the cavity 69.

During indexing movement of a socket 34 and a ferrule 24 from station A, the ferrule feeding station (FIG. 8), to station D, the ferrule 24 is contained in the socket 3:4 by a ferrule containing means, such as an arcuate wall 72 (FIG. 8) in the frame 39, which arcuate wall 72 is contoured to the circular periphery of the ferrule positioning dial 32. To prevent the ferrule 24 from dropping through the socket 34 during movement from station A to station D, the frame 39 is provided with the plate-like extension 73 (FIGS. 5 and 8) beneath the ferrule positioning dial 32.

During the indexing of the socket 34 and ferrule 24 from station D (FIG. 6) to station E, the ferrule feeding and seating station, such ferrule 24 is retained in and centered in the socket 34 by a resilient ferrule retaining means, such as a retaining lever 74 (FIG. 8), which retaining arm 74 is pivoted at 76 on the frame 39 and biased by a spring 78 into engagement with the ferrule 24. The extension 73 terminates adjacent station E (FIG. 8) and the resilient retaining lever 74 keeps the ferrule 24 from dropping out of the socket 34. It will be noted from FIG. 8 that during the dwell of the shell receiving head 14 and shell 18 at station 3 and the dwell of the socket 34 and ferrule 24 at station E, the vertical axis of such head 14 and shell 18 coincides with the vertical axis of the socket 34 and ferrule 24.

During the dwell of the socket 34 and ferrule 24 at station E (-FIG. 8) and the dwell of the shell-receiving head 14 and shell 18 at station 3, a transfer means (such as a resiliently mounted plunger 80 FIGS. 5 and 6), carried by a reciprocating ram arm 82, is in registry with the ferrule 24. This plunger 80 is reciprocable in the ram arm 82 carried by a ram 93, FIGS. 1 and 5) and is biased by a leaf spring 84 to the solid-line position shown in FIG. 5. As the ram arm 82 moves from the solid-line position (FIG. 5) to the dotted-line position shown in such figure, a plunger head 86 contoured to receive a dome 88 (FIG. 3) of the ferrule 24 moves from the solid-line position (FIG. 5) and the dotted- 4 line position (FIG. 6) to the solid-line position (FIG. 6). During this movement the plunger head 86 engages such dome 88 and moves the ferrule 24 downwardly (against the action of the retaining lever 74) out of engagement with the socket 34 and the retaining lever 74 and over the lug 26 so that a rim 89 of the ferrule 24 is preliminarily seated on the enlarged shoulder 28 of the lug 26. As the dome 88 of the ferrule 24 passes the resilient retaining lever 74, the forward motion of such lever 74 is limited by a stop 91 (FIGS. 1, 5 and 8) in order to prevent tilting of the ferrule 24 during the transfer operation. Thereafter the ram arm 32 and plunger are retracted to the solid-line position (FIG. 5) and the shell receiving head 14 and shell 18 with the ferrule 24 afiixed thereto are indexed through stations 4, 5 and 6 (FIG. 1) to station 7, the force seating station.

During the dwell of the head 14 at station 7 a seating tool (FIG. 1) carried by the ram 93 forces the rim 89 of the ferrule 24 over the enlarged shoulder 28 on the lug 26 and against the body of the shell 18 as shown in FIG. 4. At station 8 a piercing tool 92 provided with a needle (not shown) is lowered to permit the needle (not shown) to enter a lead wire aperture 94 (FIGS. 3 and 4) in the dome 88 and to pierce the top of the lug 26 therebeneath so that a lead wire (not shown) may later be threaded therethrough. After the head 14 and the shell 18 and ferrule 24 carried thereby move into station 9, a dimpling tool 96 (FIG. 1) provides a plurality of, for example three, locking dimples 98 (FIG. 4) on the ferrule 24, which locking dimples 93 lock the seated ferrule 24 to the lug 26 on the shell 18. At station 10 high pressure air from an air blast tube 100 (FIG. 1) which is axially aligned with the aperture 94 in the ferrule 24 (during the dwell of the latter at such station l0) removes any residual flash from the lug 26. The high pressure air and the residual flash carried thereby pass downwardly through a central bore 102 (FIGS. 5 and 6) in the head 14. When the head 14 arrives at station 11 high pressure air is directed from an air tube 104 (FIG. 1) upwardly into the central bore 102 to remove the now completed base (FIG. 4) from the head 14 and to deposit it in a suitable receptacle (not shown).

Utilization of the improved ferrule feeding apparatus of the present invention permits the base making machine to index at a higher rate than the prior slower rate (namely 2500 finished bases/hour). This slower rate was heretofore required to permit the hand feeding and preliminary seating of the ferrule 24 on the lug 26. With the improved ferrule feeding apparatus an attendant higher finished base production of about 6,000 finished bases per hour is achieved.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the objects of the present invention have been achieved by the provision of an improved automatic ferrule feeding apparatus for a base making machine, which ferrule feeding apparatus increases finished base production and reduces base shrinkage.

While in accordance with the patent statutes a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be particularly understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby.

I claim:

1. Ferrule feeding apparatus for a base making machine having a rotatable turret and a shell receiving head thereon for supporting a base shell having a lug, and said shell receiving head movable into and out of a ferrule feeding station of said turret, said ferrule feeding apparatus comprising,

(a) rotatable ferrule positioning means for receiving a ferrule at a ferrule receiving position and transporting such received ferrule into registry with said base shell as supported on said shell receiving head at said ferrule feeding station, 7

(b) ferrule supporting means beneath a portion of said ferrule positioning means for supporting said received ferrule in said ferrule positioning means until said ferrule is moved by said ferrule positioning means proximate to said ferrule feeding station,

(c) resilient ferrule retaining means adjacent to said ferrule feeding station and biased against said re ceived ferrule for retaining said received ferrule on said ferrule positioning means as said received ferrule is moved by said ferrule positioning means into said ferrule feeding station, and

(d) transfer means at said ferrule feeding station for exerting on said retained ferrule a force sufiicient to overcome the ferrule retaining action and said resilient ferrule retaining means and to preliminarily seat said ferrule on the lug portion of said supported base shell.

2. The apparatus as specified in claim 1, wherein delivery means is positioned adjacent to said ferrule receiving position for delivering a ferrule to said ferrule positioning means.

3. The apparatus as specified in claim 1, wherein said ferrule transfer means comprises a plunger, and said plunger is operable to exert a predetermined force on the uppermost portions of said ferrule.

4. The apparatus as specified in claim 1, wherein said ferrule positioning means has a peripheral portion and moves with a rotary indexing motion, and a ferrule receiving slot is provided in the peripheral portion of said ferrule positioning means to receive said ferrule.

5. The apparatus as specified in claim 4, wherein ferrule containing means is positioned proximate to the peripheral portion of said ferrule positioning means and operates to contain said received ferrule in the ferrule receiving slot of said ferrule positioning means as said received ferrule is moved from said ferrule feeding station to said resilient ferrule retaining means.

6. Ferrule feeding apparatus for a base making machine having a rotatable turret and a shell receiving head thereon for supporting a base shell having a lug, and said shell receiving head movable into and out of a ferrule feeding station of said turret, said ferrule feeding apparatus comprising,

(a) rotatable ferrule positioning means for receiving a ferrule at a ferrule receiving position and transporting such received ferrule into registry with said base shell as supported on said shell receiving head at said ferrule feeding station,

(11) ferrule supporting means beneath a portion of said ferrule positioning means for supporting said re ceived ferrule in said ferrule positioning means until said ferrule is moved by said ferrule positioning means proximate to said ferrule feeding station,

(0) a ferrule retaining arm positioned adjacent to said ferrule feeding station, said ferrule retaining arm spring biased against said received ferrule to retain said ferrule on said ferrule positioning means as said received ferrule is moved by said ferrule positioning means into said ferrule feeding station, and

(d) transfer means at said ferrule feeding station for exerting on said retained ferrule a force sufiicient to overcome the ferrule retaining action of said spring biased ferrule retaining arm and to preliminarily seat said ferrule on the lug portion of said supported base shell.

7. The apparatus as specified in claim 6, wherein delivery means is positioned adjacent to said ferrule receiving position for delivering a ferrule to said ferrule posittonmg means.

8. The apparatus as specified in claim 6, wherein said ferrule transfer means comprises a plunger, and said plunger is operable to exert a predetermined force on the uppermost portions of said ferrule.

9. The apparatus as specified in claim 6, wherein said ferrule positioning means has a peripheral portion and moves with a rotary indexing motion, and a ferrule receiving slot is provided in the peripheral portion of said ferrule positioning means to receive said ferrule.

10. The apparatus as specified in claim 6, wherein ferrule containing means is positioned proximate to the peripheral portion of said ferrule positioning means and operates to contain said received ferrule in the ferrule receiving slot of said ferrule positioning means as said received ferrule is moved from said ferrule feeding station to said spring biased ferrule retaining arm.

Hallowell July 20, 1943 Van Nest June 18, 1957 

1. FERRULE FEEDING APPARATUS FOR A BASE MAKING MACHINE HAVING A ROTATABLE TURRET AND A SHELL RECEIVING HEAD THEREON FOR SUPPORTING A BASE SHELL HAVING A LUG, AND SAID SHELL RECEIVING HEAD MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF A FERRULE FEEDING STATION OF SAID TURRET, SAID FERRULE FEEDING APPARATUS COMPRISING, (A) ROTATABLE FERRULE POSITIONING MEANS FOR RECEIVING A FERRULE AT A FERRULE RECEIVING POSITION AND TRANSPORTING SUCH RECEIVED FERRULE INTO REGISTRY WITH SAID BASE SHELL AS SUPPORTED ON SAID SHELL RECEIVING HEAD AT SAID FERRULE FEEDING STATION. (B) FERRULE SUPPORTING MEANS BENEATH A PORTION OF SAID FERRULE POSITIONING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID RECEIVED FERRULE IN SAID FERRULE POSITIONING MEANS UNTIL SAID FERRULE IS MOVED BY SAID FERRULE POSITIONING MEANS PROXIMATE TO SAID FERRULE FEEDING STATION, (C) RESILIENT FERRULE RETAINING MEANS ADJACENT TO SAID FERRULE FEEDING STATION AND BIASED AGAINST SAID RECEIVED FERRULE FOR RETAINING SAID RECEIVED FERRULE ON SAID FERRULE POSITIONING MEANS AS SAID RECEIVED FERRULE IS MOVED BY SAID FERRULE POSITIONING MEANS INTO SAID FERRULE FEEDING STATION, AND (D) TRANSFER MEANS AT SAID FERRULE FEEDING STATION FOR EXERTING ON SAID RETAINED FERRULE A FORCE SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME THE FERRULE RETAINING ACTION AND SAID RESILIENT FERRULE RETAINING MEANS AND TO PRELIMINARILY SEAT SAID FERRULE ON THE LUG PORTION OF SAID SUPPORTED BASE SHELL. 